Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam says return of rent control and subsidies will be considered to alleviate hardships of the poor

City leader wants to give government departments a year to evaluate rent situation and come up with a ‘more reliable scheme’

NGO worker Angela Lui wants the government to not just give temporary relief to tenants but ensure supply of housing as well

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Chief Executive Carrie Lam during a question-and-answer session at the Legislative Council Complex on Thursday, a day after delivering the 2019 policy address. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 10:40pm, 17 Oct 2019Updated: 12:22am, 18 Oct 2019

Rent control regulations that have been put aside for years will be reconsidered together with rent subsidies in an upcoming study to alleviate hardships of the poor, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has said.

The chief executive floated the idea in a Facebook live session on Thursday night, a day after she announced in her third policy address a one-off living subsidy for low-income people to cope with high rents, while promising a total evaluation of the subsidy policies.

The total evaluation would cover the possibility of reintroducing rent control rules.

“We are not diving into giving [a] rent subsidy right away, but giving the departments a year to evaluate and design a more reliable scheme,” Lam said.

Hongkongers wait on average for 5.4 years for a public flat, exceeding the government target of 3 years. Photo: Martin Chan

“Of course it will be the best if the ultimate evaluation of the subsidy schemes brings a win-win situation – in which rent does not increase [after granting subsidy] and can help the needy – but if we cannot find the solution, some people suggest maybe we should plan for rent control.